Wednesday, May 20, 2009

House Breaking Your Dog

One thing I believe is that rubbing a dogs nose in poop does not do anything but cause him to be afraid of you, and to hide his mistakes. Yes, there will be mistakes, they are part of raising a dog, and the key is to make those mistakes as few and far between as possible.

I have found amazing success with the method I use, and it does not cause any pain or fear in the puppy, which is important. Here are the steps I use to housebreak a puppy.

*Always let your new dog go to the bathroom outside before he ever goes in the house. This establishes in his mind where he can go to the bathroom. The next step is to establish where he cant go, which is in your home!

You have to stay in the yard with him until he goes to the bathroom for the first time; this can take a while, but is absolutely necessary in this training method. I do not know how many times I have been asked how to housebreak a puppy that goes outside to play then comes in the house to use the bathroom.

*When you are in the house, pay close attention to what your puppy is doing, this will take the whole family. If the puppy begins sniffing around, take him outside again until he goes to the bathroom. This can be difficult as a puppy will automatically sniff around a new home.

*When you go to bed at night or leave for any length of time put your puppy in either a kennel, or a box that is just the right size for him to lie down in. A dog will not use the bathroom where they have to sleep. Last thing at night before going to bed, take him outside. First thing in the morning take him outside, the same thing applies when you leave the house.

This is a lot of work, because you have to spend so much time with your puppy, but it is well worth the time. Having a dog is a responsibility and a serious one, take the time to train him and you will have a dog that everyone enjoys being around.